Last updated on September 20th, 2012
I wonder how many gardeners with sun-kissed gardens have been told by “the experts” that Pachysandra terminalis will only grow in shade? Far too many, I suspect. My 8 beds of pachysandra thrive in full sun, much to the consternation of landscape professionals. Would you like to know my sunny-secret?
The trick, I have found, is to keep root systems cool. Proceed this way in early spring or early autumn:
First, prepare the bed. Loosen the soil by digging the bed to a depth of 8 inches, and then incorporate within it a generous amount of leaf mold, compost, or composted manure.
Next, plant the pachysandra. If you are working with unrooted cuttings, merely poke stems into the ground and lightly firm the soil around them. If you are lucky enough to obtain fully-rooted plants, such as those transferred from an already-established bed, wind the long roots into a tight circle , as pictured above, and then plant. New growth will quickly emerge from the encircled roots. Space stems, rooted or not, 8 inches apart. Water the bed thoroughly.
Mulch. A 3-inch layer of mulch is absolutely necessary, not only to reduce weeds and conserve moisture, but to keep pachysandra’s roots cool. My favorite mulches are salt-hay substitute or finely shredded leaves. A seed-germination-inhibitor, such as Preen, sprinkled both under and on top of the mulch, will further discourage weeds.
Water. Careful attention to watering is vital; keep unrooted cuttings constantly moist until growth is evident. I use an oscillating sprinkler to soak my pachysandra beds twice each week, especially during the high-heat of summer.
A well-prepared bed, deep watering, occasional feeding, and last, but by no means least, a thick layer of mulch — these are the cultural necessities that will keep the roots of pachysandra cool, and thus permit this darling of the shade garden to flourish, quite happily, beneath long hours of direct sunshine.
Questions or comments? Post them below.
Don’t miss a beat at A Garden for the House… sign up for Kevin’s weekly newsletter!
Related Posts:
No-Fail Groundcovers
My Rose Garden
Berlandiera lyrata, The Amazing “Chocolate Flower”
Welcome To My Herb Garden
Justin says
Kevin, this is so great to know. I'd like to plant a ground cover at the base of my south-facing garage, but I thought it was too sunny for Pachysandra. Thanks for clearing this up!
Donna says
Kevin, thanks for the great article, and the tip about Preen. I'd like to dump a ton of the stuff around my garden! I'm tired of pulling weeds!
Samantha says
Yes, you have inspired me to grow pachysandra in full sun. I can use an evergreen ground cover in my gladiolus border.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Samantha, so “glad” that I've inspired you! Stop by again!
Anonymous says
So glad I found this info. I have just removed a large shade tree that has been protecting my pachysandra bed (55' x 18') for 30 years. It now receives full sun and I fear it will just burn up in july and august extreen heat we are having. Ann 8/4/10
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Ann – Welcome to A Garden for the House. So glad you found this article helpful. Hope to “see” you around here again!
Dan says
Thanks Kevin, I planted a pachysandra bed in near full sun last fall because of your column, and it's doing great! I have a question about your Preen recommendation above. I have Preen with Brilliant Blooms Fertilizer, and on the back it warns against applying to pachysandra until it is “well established, as injury may result.” At what point would you call a bed well-established, or should I use a different type of Preen? Thanks!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dan – glad your pachysandra bed is doing well. When you can no longer see patches of soil between plants, you can consider the bed “well established.”
I'd eliminate Preen altogether at this point, and focus instead on placing mulch in any bare spots. This will keep the soil cool, and encourage more plants to emerge from spreading roots. Pachysandra will have no difficulty pushing up through 2 inches of shredded leaves or chopped, weed-free straw — my 2 favorite mulches.
Keep the bed moist, too. Supplemental water will be required until the plants have completely shaded out the soil beneath them. (Hopefully, Nature is handling your watering chores this spring!)
Sally Stolz says
We just lost a big shade tree and a huge section of a large bed of very well established pachysandra (15 years – very thick) has whithered and died. The rest of it is alive, but the leaves have become very light-colored. I though about getting a patio unbrella and just sticking it in the ground to give it some shade. We also have had a fungus in a different bed of pachysandra, about 30 feet away from this one, so I'm nervous about over-watering or over-mulching. What do you suggest?
Sally Stolz in Maryland, again says
We have another bed of pachysandra in our shady front yard, and it is also very well established and very thick, but when I spread apart the beautiful top leaves, they reveal brown leaves underneath. Is this normal, or do you think it has caught the fungus that the new smaller bed had. (has?) I don't ever remember doing this in the past because I never knew pachysandra could ever get sick until this little bed we planted last year got a fungus. (or came with it. It looked beautiful, but we started noticing the brown spots about two weeks after we planted it.)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Sally Stolz – welcome. So sorry to hear about your pachysandra woes.
Yes, the shock of sudden sunlight can cause pachysandra to bleach out. But from what you are describing, I wonder if a fungus called Volutella pachysandrae has struck. Can you tell me if the browning of leaves starts out as brown blotches?
Sally Stolz in Maryland, again says
There were brown blotches on the new bed that was started last summer. I sprayed it with a fungicide and it seems to have helped. Before I did that I kept picking the spotted leaves off and putting them in the kitchen trash, but it still kept getting worse, so I sprayed it. But the bed that just had the lack-of-shade-shock is about 30 feet from there, and it just got light green, then beige and wilted. But not all of it. More than half of it is still alive, but very light green. There may be a few spots of the fungus in it, too, but nothing compared to what the new bed had. The third bed, which is in the front yard (the other two are in the back) is still in full shade and looks beautiful from the top – perfectly healthy – but when you spread it, there are brown leaves underneath. We are hoping that's normal, and not the fungus.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Sally – The pachysandra in your sun-shocked bed should recover. Deep watering now is essential; accomplish this early in the morning so the foliage has a chance to dry out. Provide a little shade, too, if you can. (Although the pachysandra in my rose garden thrives in full, blazing sun, this is the only life it has known.) More often than not, the yellowing of leaves is the symptom of dry soil, even for pachysandra located in shade.
As for the plants exhibiting brown leaves beneath green (in your front yard), this is not normal. If the problem isn't fungal, it is probably dryness. Keep in mind that plants in deep shade must compete with the roots of trees for moisture. Consequently, poke your finger two inches into the soil, and if it feels dry — deep watering is in order.
Finally…if the pachy in your front yard is really thick — consider thinning it out. Air circulation is important for all plants.
I hope I've been helpful to you in some small way. Do let me know about the condition of the soil in front yard, after the finger test.
Sally Stolz in Maryland, again says
Hi, Kevin!
Yes – you are VERY helpful – THANK YOU!! Well I checked the soil in the patch in the front yard, and it's actually very moist and there is quite a layer of rotted leaves in and around the stalks of the pachysandra. I think the problem is probably the fungus, as there are lots of completely brown and rotted plants and there are leaves with the spots on them, too. ALSO, the sun-shocked patch in the back has leaves with spots, too, so I think its main problem may be the fungus afterall. I sprayed the little new patch that seems to have introduced the fungus to our yard with “Daconil” and it seems to have really helped. I was hesitant to use it because it says it is hazardous to wildlife, and we have lots of birds and bees and squirrels and rabbits. But since they all seem fine, maybe I should also apply it to the patch on the hill (sun-shocked AND fungus ridden) as well as the patch in the front yard (looks great on top, but fungus underneath.) Does this sound like a good course of action? BUT I think you're right, that I should thin out the patches first, as that is probably part of the problem with the fungus. HOW do I thin it? Do I just cut out single stalks and throw them away?
Also, do you know if it's possible for this same fungus to spread to my vinca minor (Periwinkle). Some of it's leaves have brown spots on them too.
Again, THANK YOU so much for taking the time to share your wealth of experience and knowledge!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Sally – I think your Daconil-plan is a good one.
To thin pachysandra, just cut off stems. (And as you you work, clean out dead leaves from the bed).
Fortunately, vinca minor is not a host for the pachysandra fungus. It can, however, get its own, special ailments!
sally Stolz in Maryland, again says
Thank you so much, Kevin! You have given me good ideas and great peace of mind! Thank you SO MUCH for doing this out of the goodness of your heart! You're wonderful!
Brad says
Kevin,
I gave away some pachysandra that I had struggling under a Serviceberry tree (which itself was suffering from transplant shock) but I'm going to try the pachysandra again after reading this.
Will regular bark mulch cool the roots, too, or will it be too hard for new growth to push through?
I really hope it works, because I couldn't find another plant with the color/shape I liked as much, although it was a battle between vinca and chocolate chip ajuga.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Brad – nice to meet you. Best to avoid the chunky bark mulch. Shredded bark is fine. Also good are shredded leaves (my favorite) and chopped straw.
Stay in touch, okay?
Brad says
Kevin,
Thanks for the reply! However, you've just opened the door to more novice questions: (1) Would you consider the stuff readily available at Home Depot (Scott's NatureScapes) to be shredded or chunky? They call it shredded, but there are definitely some chunks. (2) Where can you get shredded leaves when they're not “in season?” and (3), The once the seedling is planted at soil level, and the mulch is added, isn't that like planting 2 inches too deep? How does it not smother/rot the plant? (4) Do you add more mulch yearly, even when plants cover the area?
As an experiment, a few weeks ago I relocated some of the pachysandra that had been growing well in the shady spot back into the sun. These plants are a year old and had been doing quite well, so I moved them with a shovel to keep the whole “root ball” intact. Even with a year's worth of rooting, half of the transplants wilted today in the first bit of uncloudy heat we've had since the relocation. The new plants I put in with some added compost, also as a test, look fine so far. Go figure. I think once I figure out the surface mulching thing, it should work out.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Brad – the best time to transplant pachysandra is in fall or early spring. The plants adapt better to sunlight then.
Not familiar with Scott's NatureScapes; but if the package says shredded, it probably is.
Not possible to find decayed leaves off season unless you've saved them from your autumn rakings. And you certainly should save them!
With pachysandra, don't worry about adding too much mulch. They will send their shoots directly through the stuff. And you needn't continue to mulch after the plants have established themselves; their leaves will shade out the soil below, and keep it cool.
Brad says
Thanjs, Kevin. I'll give it a whirl!
Brad says
er… “Thanks,” that is.
NONA says
Don't know how I got to your site-my first time-but reading all the questions about pachysandra-I'll give you a try. I've lived here since 1973 and our very large beds were completely filled in. PREFACE;about 30 years ago I saw a product advertized – a granular item to be broadcast all over the beds you were trying to keep free from invaders. Nothing else as they seem to include now. My Pacy. doesn't need any Nitrogen or anything else. ANOTHER thing to NOTE…WE have landscape gardners who only know how to turn that blasted leaf blower on & off. NO knowlege how to use it. On the patio we have a very large ——-tree that drops it's seeds and a very full “summer lilac” tree – lots of seeds. the “seedlings” in my Pacy. are taller than the Pacy,. O.K… How can we get rid of the trees that have already been growing there for ???????? how many years AND where can I get some more of this de-germination product??????? I have spent days on the web in the commercial products trying to translate those formulas. A PERFECT PRODUCT (ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO ADMIT TO THE 80s). Hahaha!! ever used those nifty little red hand-held broadcasters???? Who needs hightech? I have several net shopping baskets with all kinds of tools to try to get those “trees” out of the Pach. When I saw this new man pointing his jet propelled leaf blower at my Pach. and the leaves blasting into my plants. who knew??? My almost 81yrs. husband, who knows even less than the leaf blowers, tried (at my instruction,of course, 100% right) soaking a sponge paint brush with –oops, a senior moment..you know what I mean..Kills all green thru to the roots. I'd better sign off – my brain's starting to scramble. I'm so sure you'll have all the answers I need…so thanks in advance!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Nona – Please forgive me for the delayed response. I usually respond to questions within 24 hours — but a trip to the west coast, jet lag, etc., and I fell behind!
Anyway, as for all those tree-seedlings growing in your pachy bed, you'll need to remove them by hand. Not necessarily your own hand — perhaps you can hire the job out to some industrious teenager (I'll admit such teenagers are rare these days).
Next, apply a granular weed-inhibitor such as “Preen.” Supposedly Preen should not be used in a pachysandra bed, but I've had success with it in the past. Do not scatter it all over the plants; just at ground level.
brenda cole says
Pachysandra has been an absolute godsend to me. I live on a heavily wooded lot. Between the deer and the heavy shade I have trouble growing many things, including grass. I now have HUGE pachysanda beds all over my yard.
It’s my favorite plant because:
1). you don’t have to cut it
2). you don’t have to fertilize it or baby it in anyway whatsoever
3). it’s evergreen
4). the deer don’t eat it
5). it’s “free” (ridiculously easy to propagate just by janking some up and sticking it in the ground somewhere else).
6). you don’t have to weed it (once established it’s too dense for weeds)
7). it’s not picky at all about soil (there is some growing up through my asphalt driveway right now)
8). it spreads FAST (you can have a well established bed with in a year or two)
I don’t know of one other plant that does all that for you.
I also have some in a bed that gets about 8 hours of direct sun per day, and it is just as lush as the beds in full shade.
Love this plant.
Maary Jane Pantzis says
Please help me today I have a large hilside of pachysandra the part in the shade is green but has some of those morining glory vines. What do I do with them????? The part in the sun is brown. Would you water it first and then if that did not work use the proper chemical?
I do not want to rip it out and start all over again the plants have been in there for 18 years with barely any problem. Thank You sooooo much. Mary Jane
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Maary Jane Pantzis – The morning glory vine is probably something called “bindweed.” Try to trace the vine back to its roots, and then pull it up. If this is impossible, then just cut the vine down to the ground.. Keep cutting the vine every time it tries to grow, and eventually its roots will give up.
As for the brown pachysandra, you might find the solution in comments 9-16 above. Let me know if these are helpful to you.
Dick Schneider says
Kevin:
“Occasionally” is spelled with two Cs and one S.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dick Schneider – Fixed. And thank you.
Trudi Dido says
When we lived in Larchmont , I had pachysandra everywhere(although mostly shade ) and it became one of my favorite plants. for all the reasons Brenda Cole states…. plus the best …it smells like honey when it blooms ! The only drawback seemed to be the mosquitos loved it as much as I did and you could not walk “back there” in August without getting eaten alive.
It does not do as well in my hot Georgia yard .
fran gerding says
We have pacysandra in the front of our house that is in full sun and the leaves are yellow.
How can I correct this? Last year I fertilize it and this helped. Now it is yellow again.
Kristen says
My pacysandra beds have been competing with numerous other vines for the last several years (ivy, virginia creeper, and another vine I’m not sure of). I try to pull it by hand, but can’t seem to get ahead of it. I also have an invasion of jewel weed in these beds, which is easy to remove, but is so pervasive. Any suggestions?
Joyce says
I have had pachysandra growing in full sun for years, so I have to laugh when I see all of the articles say for “shade or partial shade.”. The soil was pure clay, so I shoveled it out little by little and mixed horse manure and dead leaves in with it and it is wonderful. Best plant I have, no mowing, weeding, or trimming–just enjoying it year round. I have plenty of deer and they have never touched it.
Memere says
We have a bed of pachysandra under a silver maple tree that has shallow roots and has sun in very early morning. We are in coastal NC and our soil is very poor. The bed has never spread much beyond the original planting. Would the mulching you described help here and is it OK to do this at this time of the year?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Terry says
I’m in zone 3 / 4 Canada and love pachysandra! I have ‘Green Carpet’ and the variegated type planted on the north side of my house where they receive strong summer sun in the later afternoon. I had deeply prepared and amended the soil with peat moss, though after several years, the plants had continued to be very slow to establish and had taken on a pale unthrifty color. I now give them a regular spring dose of granular 20-20-20 and they’ve greatly improved and look fantastic! I’ll be taking divisions to move them around to several other locations throughout my yard and even some of the more sunny spots, though where the snow tends to remain for the entire winter to give these evergreen plants protection from the extreme bitter cold of -40 that can occasionally occur.
Toni Genberg says
Unfortunately Pachysandra terminalis, the lovely ground cover from Asia, is invasive to many states, including Virginia, where I live. Invasive non native plants compete with our vital native plants for sun, moisture and nutrients. There are many friendlier native alternatives to Pachysandra (including a native species) and also to English ivy (which aggressively kills trees). Check out these sites for more information:
http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/covering-ground-the-native-way/
http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/plant-this-not-that-shade-plants-for-suburbanurban-woodland-buffers/
http://vnps.org/download/VNPS%20Brochures/Alternatives-to-English-Ivy.pdf
Thanks for considering natives!
j weyrens says
Thank you for the info this is useful. Does anyone have an option on which is better for Pachysandra; drip line or spray heads for irrigation?
Thank you
M says
Since we cut down some trees, my pachysandra are in full sun. I am not sure if the full sun is the reason, but we now have volutella blight. The pachysandras have been sprayed three times and
I am cutting back any pacysandras that are dying. Do you have any suggestions to further help
The situation. Thanks.
G. P. Stephenson says
Kevin, Thanks for the article. A question: how late in autumn is too late (zone 6) for transplanting rooted cuttings? Obviously before the ground freezes, but what about the effect of colder nighttime temperatures (would hate do all the work, then lose them!) Also, how deep do the roots go? I’d like to plant along the east side of my house (where there is now ugly lava rock), but the foundation is surrounded by a gravel water drainage trench sloping to a dry well. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance for your time!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi G.P.Stephenson – Transplant your rooted pachysandra at least 6 weeks before your first average frost date. The plants will need time to establish themselves before the weather turns cold. The roots of Pachysandra are shallow — they tend to spread outwards, rather than not downwards. Have fun with your project!
Virginia Oliveto says
Kevin, many thanks for your site.
I’ve had a thick, beautiful, pachysandra bed for 45 years. This spring I noticed a large area looking like the tops of the leaves were bitten off or dieing back. Now late summer the bed is alive only around the edges of the planting. We do have a family of chipmunks making their home under the bed. Are the chipmunks killing my plants, or is it something else? The remaining plants don’t seem to have a fungus.
I need help as I love pachysandra.
jack says
i have many beds of pachysandra completely disappearing roots and all and remaining do not have any markings or fungus on them what is the cause and how to cure this
MCM says
thanks so much for info.
I’d planted several flats in full sun [as that is where they were thriving at our old house] and then happened to notice the shade instruction on the plant tag. yikes. glad i googled before transplanting 72!!!! soil at new house is about 100 percent clay; i’ve been mixing with fine mulch and hoping for the best.
thanks again for info.
Roxanne says
Perhaps I’ve missed your directions on this, but how do you thin a contained area of pachysandra where it is growing into grass areas? Do I simply cut the tops – seems this would cause it to thicken and become more dense and creep further into unwanted areas. Appreciate your help.
Morningstar says
Help! We planted a large area of our renewed rock garden with sedums this spring. The one labeled green sedum has taken off and is now giving us a glorious show of yellow flowers. The red sedum is doing the same with brilliant fuscia flowers. We have not been able to find blue sedum in our area yet. Then, a neighbor with a lot of gardening experience looked at what we though was green sedum and complimented us on our healthy pachysandra. Huh? We have pachysandra growing in another area and there is a close resemblance to the leaves but what we have called pachysandra is leggier and not as tight as what we call our sedum. Is there a close resemblance or did the nursery somehow label our new green sedum plants with the wrong I.D.’s? Thank you!
MRa says
i have poison ivy growing within my pachysandra and fern beds. I have been told i could use poison ivy spray but my concern is that it may kill the fern and pachysandra. Any ideas for rescue ?
Connie says
Our pachysandra has been shaded under a large tree for the past twenty years. The tree needs to come down which will leave the pachysandra exposed to sun for a large part of the day. It is on an East facing hill and there are a couple of sparse trees at the top of the hill which may give it some relief from the afternoon sun. I am wondering if this sudden exposure to the sun after so many shaded years will damage the pachysandra. We also have healthy hostas at the the bottom of the hill and am concerned for them also. I would appreciate your opinion on this.
Jim says
I’m trying it in coastal Alabama. High humidity and heat! I’m surprised that is doing well (so far) the first year. I grew this many years ago in West Hartford, Connecticut, where it was a breeze. It’s been here a year and has bloom buds on it.
LJ says
I have an section of Pachysandra that has yellowed out – what if anything can I do to get the dark green coloring back in the leaves. This section is in direct sunlight most of the day.
Sally Bingham says
I have a large bed of pachysandra under a dogwood tree. The outer perimeter of the bed is surrounded by Hostas. The pachysandra has not yet reached the
area where the hostas are planted. Will the pachysandra choke out the hosta when it reaches their planting area?
Tim Davis says
Kevin,
Can bark mulch be used as a mulch for pachysandra?